November 8 – Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis’ appeal against a five-game stadium ban was dismissed in order to “send a clear message” after he “undermined respect for the game of football”, the English FA has explained.
The controversial shipping magnet was found guilty of improper conduct for spitting on the floor in the direction of Premier League match officials following a 1-0 home defeat to Fulham at the City Ground on September 28.
Marinakis denied the charge and launched an appeal which was thrown out.
In a statement the FA said: “Showing such contempt for match officials in a place where that can be seen by other individuals, significantly undermines respect for the game of football.
“Such behaviour is only more serious when it comes from an individual who himself has a position of both power and responsibility within the game.
“It is therefore vital that a clear message is sent that this behaviour will not be tolerated in any part of football.”
Meanwhile, new Forest recruit Edu, who is stepping down as Arsenal sporting director to work for Marinakis, is reported to have parted company with the Gunners though this has not been confirmed.
The Brazilian is expected to take on a senior recruitment role within Marinakis’s sports empire, overseeing talent strategy for Forest, Greek club Olympiacos, and Portuguese side Rio Ave.
It is being reported he will serve a six-month period of gardening leave at Arsenal where he will no longer involved in any day-to-day running of the club and will not attend games or visit the training ground.
Edu’s departure marks the loss of a key figure for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who has relied on his close collaboration in turning Arsenal into title contenders even though they have still not managed to get over the line under the current regime and are already seven points behind Liverpool after just 10 games this season.
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